The inclusion of airbags in passenger vehicles has largely become standard, in many cases due to government safety regulations. Airbags have proven effective at protecting vehicle occupants from more serious injury when the occupied vehicle is involved in a crash. This is due in large part to the ability of airbags to deploy quickly, thus enabling protection of occupants even during crashes that occur at high speeds. When deployed, airbags help to prevent vehicle occupants from excessive movement within the vehicle passenger compartment and associated injuries.
Practical considerations dictate that airbag modules be mounted in close proximity to vehicle occupants, so that the airbag can quickly deploy into a space between the vehicle occupant and the vehicle structure when necessary. Front passenger airbags, for example, are commonly mounted within the instrument panel/cross car beam assembly within the passenger compartment. As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,409,538 (the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein) describes a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning assembly having a housing that supports the housing of an airbag module in a position immediately underneath the passenger-side dashboard. However, the mounting of airbag modules in locations immediately adjacent to the passenger compartment decreases the amount of vehicle cabin space available for use by vehicle owners and users.